Lavatory drain



Sept. 9, 1969 Filed Feb. 19, 1968 Km m w N mm M W MW A w I 55 C ,2 w m 0 a a z 7 w All/$44 0 E r b l i 2 M United States Patent 3,465,372 LAVATORY DRAIN Cleo A. Reagan, Frankfort, Ind., assignor to The Indiana Brass Co., Inc., Frankfort, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Feb. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 706,223 Int. Cl. E03c 1/22 US. Cl. 4-204 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a preferred form, the present invention relates to a drain plug assembly for a lavatory basin. The drain plug of the present invention is movable between two positions While slidably mounted on a post to allow water flow from the basin to a drain pipe while in a first posi tion and blocks the flow of water from the basin to the drain while in a second position. The drain plug has a screw passing therethrough which coacts with a groove on the post to hold the drain plug raised from the basin while allowing turning in the groove to an open slot allowing the drain plug to drop into sealing engagement with the basin. The drain plug assembly of the present invention can be completely removed from the basin without disturbing the plumbing to the drain pipes.

The present invention relates to lavatory drain plugs and, more particularly, to a drain plug that is of metal construction, has only one moving part, and is accessible for maintenance purposes from within the lavatory basin itself.

Lavatory basin drain plugs found in the prior art are mainly of two types of construction. One construction is a plug made of some resilient material such as rubber that has a hook formed in one portion thereof engaging a chain that, in turn, is held to a part of the wash basin to maintain the plugs near its operative position. The second type of drain plug in common usage is of metal construction but is moved from one operative position where water can flow to another where water cannot flow by an intericate series of lever arrangements which contributes to its high cost and high maintenance rate. Other type plugs found in the prior art but not in general use include the type wherein a knob is fixed to a post which slides in an aperture in a drain pipe cap. A lug or some such arrangement protrudes from the post and interferes with a portion of the cap to prevent removal of the plug. To clean the cap, the whole assembly must be removed. Another drain plug in limited usage is the type shown in US. Patent No. 1,613,251; however, that plug is very intricate in design and consequently expensive to manufacture and also requires dismantling of the intricate support structure for complete cleaning. The drain plug of the present invention has the simplicity of the resilient plug although not having the problems associated therewith due to its metal construction and has only one moving part so that it does not have the high maintenance probability and cost attendant the multiple lever arrangements. The plug is very inexpensive and is also easily removable from within the lavatory basin to clean the area beneath the plug.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved lavatory basin drain plug assembly'which is simple to manufacture and which allows the drain pipe to be cleaned out by the quick removal of the plug without disturbing the plumbing to the drain pipe from a position within the lavatory basin.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved lavatory basin drain plug assembly wherein the assembly includes a cap mounted on the end of the Patented Sept. 9, 1969 drain pipe exposed in the basin and includes a post threadingly engaging said cap with a knob or plug slidable on said post between two positons to selectively block or permit water flow to the drain pipe from the basin.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

In the single figure drawing, the subject invention is shown in section in its operative environment.

Referring to the drawing, an overflow tube or drain pipe 10 is operatively positioned in a basis 12. Basin 12 has a wall 14 exposed to the interior of the basin wherein the water is normally held and another wall 16 which together with wall 14 forms a chamber 18 running from the rim of the basin to pass to overflow water from the basin to overrun outlet 19.

A cap means generally designated by the numeral 20 fits into a complementary shaped depression in wall 14 and sleeve type portion 21 threadingly engages pipe 10. Locknut 11 acts through friction washer 13 to push rubber washer 15 against wall 16 thereby holding pipe 10 fixed with respect to basin 12. Sleeve type portion 21 is formed on the lower portion of cap means 20 with the upper portion including a dished-out portion 22 having a tapered edge 24 exposed to the bottom of the lavatory basin. Tapered edge 24 forms the seat for a plug means 38 in a manner to be hereinafter described. The center of sleeve portion 21 of cap means 20 is open, allowing the passage of water there through and includes a plurality of support members 26 bridging said open center to a centrally disposed around hub-type member 28 having a threaded center portion 30. This portion of the cap means is best seen in FIGURE 2.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a post member 32 threadingly engages the threaded center portion 30 of said hub-type member 28 and projects above the tapered edge 24 of the dished-out portion 22 of the cap means 20. Post member 32 has a flat 34 formed along one side thereof and a peripheral groove 36 formed around the periphery thereof near the end of the post opposite the threaded end, the peripheral groove being at the same depth as the flat.

The plug means generally designated by the numeral 38 is slidably mounted on the post member 32 and includes a tapered lower edge 42 adapted to seat against the tapered edge or seat 24 and sealingly engages the seat to seal the open center of the sleeve 21 to prevent water flow from the lavatory basin to the drain pipe 10 when the plug means 38 is in a closed position. Plug means 38 is slidable to a second position on the post member 32 wherein the tapered lower edge 42 is held in spaced relation with respect to tapered portion 24 of the dished-out portion 22 of the cap means 38 thereby allowing water flow from the basin 12 to the drain pipe 10 when plug means 38 is in an open position.

A mean-s is provided for the plug means to guide it during its movement and includes a screw member 44 passing through a wall of plug means 38 at a point that is always exposed to the lavatory basin 12, the screw member 44 penetrating the wall of the plug means 38 to a depth sufficient to engage the peripheral groove 36 and the flat 34 of post member 32. It is obvious that the depth of the flat 34 and the peripheral groove 36 are the same as previously mentioned. In this manner, the plug means 38 is provided with two operative positions, a first position when the screw member 44 engages the periperal groove of the plug means 38 which is thereby spaced from the cap means 20, and a second position where the plug means 38 engages the cap means 20 in 1 sealing relationship therewith and the screw member 44 has been turned 180 from the position seen in FIGURE 1 onto flat 34 and has moved downwardly along the post 32.

It therefore becomes obvious that a very simple plug assembly has been provided wherein the plug means 38 is movable to two positions, a first operative position as shown in FIGURE 1 where water flow is allowed past the support members 26 and a second operative position when tapered edge 42 seats against tapered portion 24 to prevent water flow from the basin to the pipe. To assume the second position, plug means 38 is merely rotated 180 from the position shown in FIGURE 1 so that screw 44 moves in peripheral groove 36 to a position where screw 44 engages flat 34 therefore allowing plug means 38 to fall onto tapered portion 24 to form a seal.

Cap means 20 is removable from the lavatory basin without disturbing the plumbing to the basin due to its threaded engagement therewith, the plug means 38 being held on post member 32 by the screw member 44 which is accessible from the open portion of the lavatory basin in either of the two operative positions of plug means 38. The removal of plug means 38 allows the cleaning of residue that will inevitably build up on support members 26 and will also allow a removal of the lavatory basin from its installed position by the mere unthreading of cap means 20 from the end of the drain pipe 10. Therefore, a simple and economical drain plug assembly is provided in accordance with the objects of the present invention and satisfies a need with structure not found in the prior art.

While the embodiment of the present invention, as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Lavatory drain apparatus comprising: a cap adapted to be carried in a lavatory basin and connected to a drain pipe extending therefrom, said cap having a central opening communicating said basin with said drain pipe, an upstanding post member carried by said cap in a fixed posi tion relative thereto and having a portion within said opening, a plug slidably and angularly rotatably disposed over the post member and engageable with said cap when in a lowered position to seal said opening and spaced from said cap when in a raised position to open said opening to fluid flow, and means carried by said plug for selectively maintaining said plug in said raised position including a removable member extending through said plug to engage said post member, said post member having a vertical portion providing clearance between said removable member and said post member when said plug is in a predetermined angular orientation to permit the plug to assume said lowered position.

2. Lavatory drain apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said removable member provides the sole connection between said plug and said post member.

3. Lavatory drain apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said removable member is a screw threadingly engaging said plug through a radial bore formed therein and said plug extends upwardly into said basin to provide access to said removable member.

4. Lavatory drain apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said cap includes an annular upwardly tapered surface about said opening and said plug includes an annular downwardly tapered surface sealingly engageable with said annular cap surface when said plug is in the lowered position.

5. Lavatory drain apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said cap includes a central hub having a vertical threaded bore, said post member having a threaded lower end disposed within said bore.

6. Lavatory drain apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said post member has an annular peripheral groove formed therein adjacent the upper end thereof, said groove extending to said vertical portion, and said removable member extending through the plug into said groove when the plug is in the raised position.

7. Lavatory drain apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said radial bore for said removable member is upwardly angularly inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of said post member and extends from a point above said tapered surface of said cap.

8. Lavatory drain apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said cap includes an internally threaded sleeve portion adapted to receive said drain pipe in threaded engagement therewith.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 213,163 3/1879 Bladen 4287 1,630,352 5/1927 Mortimer 4-295 2,090,299 8/1937 Kuhnle 4-287 2,807,806 10/1957 Watkins 4-203 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner HENRY K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 4287, 295 

